Geena Wardaki

UN says say famine-hit Somalia faces cholera epidemic due to issues with water and sanitation – The World Health Organization said today that “Somalia faces a cholera epidemic as dirty water and poor sanitation are leading to an increase in outbreaks of the disease.” The organization reported “the number of cases has risen sharply this

Anderson Cooper 360 – Interview with Bono and K’naan: Bono discusses short term immediate crisis solutions that are in Somalia, saying aid organizations can be better informed by listening to people on the ground, such as the Somali Diaspora. He also makes the point that long term solutions, such as agriculture programs backed by the

Why Americans should care about famine in Africa – Bill Frist, former Republican Senate Majority Leader, reflects on his trip to Kenya and Somalia with Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden. Frist says “the good news for the American taxpayer is that investments by our humanitarian and development organizations have worked,” arguing

Jill Biden visits East Africa refugee camps to draw international attention to famine – Jill Biden, wife of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visited Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya today, which was the “highest-profile U.S. visit to drought-stricken East Africa since the numbers of refugees began dramatically increasing in June.” According to Biden, “the aim

US says Somalia famine has killed more than 29,000 children under age 5 in last 90 days – According to US estimates, “the drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of 5” and the has UN reported “640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished.” On Wednesday, the UN “declared

State Department Reassures Groups Aiding Somalia in Food Crisis – The Obama administration assured aid groups Tuesday that “that they could deliver desperately needed food to famine-stricken parts of Somalia without fear of prosecution, even if some assistance is diverted to extremists linked to Al Qaeda.” New guidelines “allow charities to provide famine aid as

Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape From Famine – The Shabab Islamist insurgent group in Somalia “is blocking starving people from fleeing the country and setting up a cantonment camp where it is imprisoning displaced people who were trying to escape Shabab territory.” Aid organizations report that the country is “one of the most

Somalia’s famine refugees drenched and cold after torrential rains pound capital – Torrential rains in Mogadishu destroyed tens of thousands of famine-stricken refugees’ makeshift shelters Sunday. The UN has expressed fears that “tens of thousands already have died in Somalia in areas held by the Islamist rebels because food aid could not reach them” and

Behind Africa’s famine, more than just drought Famine isn’t inevitable – William Moseley argues that the change from “traditional practices,” such as herding, to the expansion of large-scale commercial farming has been “detrimental to the landscape” and has made the routes of herders “more vulnerable to drought” in East Africa. He calls on countries such

Foreign Policy: Murder By Starvation – Charles Kenny, senior fellow at Center for Global Development, argues that “famine deaths in the modern world are almost always the result of deliberate acts on the part of governing authorities.” Pointing to the al-Shabab militant group occupying Somalia, Kenny argues the UN Security Council should set a precedent

Aid workers rush to help East Africa’s hungry – The UN says “it will airlift emergency rations later this week to try to reach at least 175,000 of the 2.2 million Somalis who have not been helped yet,” with southern portions of the country expected to be declared a famine zone as of August 1.

U.N. Meets on Somalia Famine Efforts – Officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have decided that $1.6 billion in aid is needed over the next 12 months, “with $300 million of that aid coming in the next three months.” The US has pledged $28 million to help drought victims, while the World Bank